At the penthouse on the top floor of the building,

Gun-su Shin was in his private office when a string of bad news made his lips go dry.

Big brother! The security team has been annihilated.

Weve lost communication with the outside It seems like someones playing games.

All elevators are stopped. Hes coming up the stairs. And fast. Already past the 20th floor!

Not a single piece of good news.

Just irritating reports of defeatone after another, each predicting the worst.

Bang!

Shin slammed his fist on the desk.

Damn it! What kind of dogshit situation is this?!

An unexpected intruderunheard of.

Although the guild had many enemies, due to its nature, a direct and reckless attack like this had never happened before.

And by a single person at that

This ones no ordinary hitman.

At first, Shin thought it was a madman with his guts out on display.

But as the security crumbled, one line after another, Shin had to admit it.

Sometimes, a single enemy can be more terrifying than hundreds.

Thats when it happened.

Ugh!

Arghhh!

Screams erupted from outside the door.

Clang! Crash!

Sounds of blades clashing followed, but only for a moment.

After thatsilence.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Shins heart raced.

Caught between fear and curiosity, finally

Creeeak.

The door opened.

Are you the guild master here?

The figure who appeared was a man wearing a strange mask.

[Barrier duration: 0h : 15m : 33s]

About 15 minutes left to cut off communication with the outside.

Plenty of time.

Enough to deal with one insane crow.

Jin-hyuk started moving.

Stop. If you dont, I will cut you down!

Swoosh!

Shin drew his sword,

which sparked with various colors, proving it was enchanted with multiple spells.

It looked expensivea fitting sword for a so-called guild master.

But why?

Even in the face of such a stern warning, Jin-hyuk couldnt help but sneer.

Its too clumsy

Having just fought Cheon Yu-seong, his senses were razor-sharp.

Predicting Shins every movement was as simple as reading the flow of his hands and feet.

Every anticipated attack.

Every targeted spot.

All of it.

As Jin-hyuk continued to approach, Shin finally roared.

Didnt you hear me tell you to stop?!

[Gun-su Shin has activated Lv3 Swift Sword!]

Shins sword vanished.

Whoosh!

Leaving only an afterimage, the tip of the blade was thrusted at Jin-hyuk.

Do you really think this is just a bluff?

Thats just sad.

Jin-hyuks hand moved in sync with the swords path.

At this speed, no need to dodge.

Caught.

The dancing blade halted abruptly.

Gah!?

A gasp escaped Shins mouth.

With his blade, accelerated by the skill, caught barehanded

It was a natural response.

Chilling.

A shiver crawled up his spine.

From mobster to where he stood now, his experiences told him one thing:

he stood no chance, not even in another life.

You What are you? Who sent you all the way here?

Shin staggered backward.

But escape was futile in a room barely forty-nine square meters.

Thud.

His back hit the glass window.

His whole body trembled with fear. His trusted underlings could no longer shield him.

Guess.

What?

Who I am, why Ive cometake a guess.

Maybe hed spare him if he guessed right?

Thud!

Jin-hyuk plunged a dagger into the center of the desk.

Did Dangun or Balhae send you? Are they trying to keep us in check?

Wrong.

Typically, the response would be an easygoing invitation to guess again.

But in Jin-hyuks version of Golden Bell, there are different rules.

A wrong answer deserves a penalty, of course.

Oh, and theres something perfect for it.

Jin-hyuk picked up a go piece from the desk.

Its quite hefty.

Fitting for a rich punk to have proper go pieces.

Why the go piece?

Shin muttered uneasily.

Why? Well.

Crack!

Aaagh! My my forehead, my forehead!

For exactly that reason.

Shin clutched his face, writhing on the floor.

A bump protruding like a goblinsThats the power of a magic-infused go stone smacked against a skull.

Guess again. Think hard this time.

Jin-hyuk toyed with a second go piece.

Ugh Black Market? Yeah, them! Werent you hired for a huge bounty to take us down?

Wrong again.

And again, an incorrect guess.

Wait! Just wait. Ill double whatever amount they offered you. What do you need? Just say it. I can match it!

In fear of facing another go piece, Shins face went pale, and he hastily proposed a new deal.

Hey.

?

Who do I look like to you, not how much money I want from you.

Did he learn Korean overseas or something? Why cant he understand?

From which elementary school did he graduate, if any, that hes at this level?

Splat!

The go piece struck once more.

Worse than before, since Jin-hyuk added more magic, Shin had to twist and turn in torment.

Ugh! My forehead my forehead!

Last chance. Get it wrong again, and youre taking a shot with all the go pieces here.

Huff. Huff. Huff

Shin was gasping for air.

With a sudden realization, he fixed his gaze on Jin-hyuks mask.

Kang Jin-hyuk.

A name with three syllables.

Finally, the right answer. I am the person who ordered Park Ha-jin to be killed. Youre looking at him.

Jin-hyuk removed his mask, revealing his unobscured face.

Dammit. You came all the way here for revenge? Ruined the entire building over that?

Just that? Just?

Jin-hyuk frowned.

Yeah. Youve killed our guys, including Park Ha-jin. Lets call it even. Why go to such extremes

Ah, so I shouldve stopped at a reasonable point?

Dont be so crooked about it. Think about it calmly. Even though our top rankers arent here because theyre raiding a tower, our guild alone has over fifty.

So what?

If you kill me, others will come after you. An unending cycle of revenge.

Blood calls for blood, and revenge begets revenge.

Without forgiveness from either side, the slaughter will go on forever.

Hmm

Theres some logic to it.

Blood, revengethese are words that disrupt peaceful sleep.

Jin-hyuk smiled faintly, as if making up his mind.

Okay. Ill just kill you, and well end it there. Lets keep things clean.

What?

Ill be the last to seek vengeance. Tell your crowd to forgive and forget.

Thats nonsensical Gah!

Jin-hyuk thrust a handful of go pieces into Shins mouth.

Gag! Blargh!

Shin convulsed, go pieces and bloody froth spilling from his mouth.

Jin-hyuk tightened his grip, not letting a single one escape.

You can break the cycle, whatever it is. No rule says it has to be me.

What? Revenge breeds revenge?

Why send assassins then?

Ive indulged your nonsense long enough.

If any remnants of The Black Crow Guild try anything, Jin-hyuk would simply deal with them.

After all, he wasnt afraid of mediocre opponents, even in droves.

Disappear already.

Jin-hyuk delivered his parting words.

And with all his might, threw a punch.

Crash!

Keuagh!

The punch buried deep into Shins face.

A chilling crunch of go pieces and teeth echoed through the room.

Instant death.

Jin-hyuk looked down at the fallen Shin for a moment.

With his face caved in like that, there was no need for a check.

Next target

Hey, you playing dead. Get up.

Ill count to three. One.

Yes! Im awake!

A man hurriedly responded from among the men in black suits sprawled on the floor.

Seemed in his mid-twenties, not radiating much magiche must not be a player.

Maybe Shins secretary?

Introduce yourself. Prove youre worth sparing, and Ill let you live.

Names Hee-woong Kim, 26 years old. I manage all general affairs for The Black Crow Guild! Fluent in five languages, with majors in Computer Science and Accounting from Stanford! I can handle anything, just entrust it to me!

Nice, nice. Very sharp.

Age, experience, qualifications.

Good enough to be used.

As you can see, the situation here isnt great. The guild masters dead, and there are more injured than we can count.

Yes yes. Thats true.

So, Im thinking of leaving the guild to you.

Yes yes. That yes?

Kims eyes widened.

Dont think too grandly. Its a shame to blow up a mid-tier guild all at once. I just want to keep it afloat.

This was the plan from the beginningputting up a figurehead and bleeding the guild dry from behind.

And Kim Hee-woong, as the secretary, would know the ins and outs, making him perfect for the role.

But Ill be a guild master in name only, wont I? Therell be no one to follow me.

Of course.

A non-combatant, especially a former secretary, taking the top spot is bound to face resistance.

Dont worry about those who oppose.

Ah! Youll handle them personally?

Kims face brightened a little.

Considering the power Jin-hyuk demonstrated just moments ago, it seemed perfectly plausible.

If he could easily subdue Shin, any rankers wouldnt stand a chance.

Jin-hyuk shook his head, though.

No.

Why would he bother with such tedious work?

Especially when theres a perfectly capable substitute at his side?

Youve been listening, right?

Jin-hyuk glanced at the ring on his finger, and then

[You wouldnt be talking to me, would you?]

The usually silent Ellis spoke up.

Is there anyone else here?

[Do you expect me, a once-noble patriarch, to tend to these trifles?]

Ah

Always so austere in tone.

Dont push it. Feel like going for another spin? No need to lift heavy, right?

[Dont! Please dont! Its nauseating! You cruel human!]

Ellis was rattled by the mere mention of the spinning.

The lowest of insults indeed.

You call that an insult?

[Isnt it an outrageous offense?]

Laughs. Its laughable.

A newborn would craft a sharper tongue than that.

At the very least.

You lowly and xxxx creature. Dare to lock this noble being in a ring and treat me like a squirrel in a wheel, Ill xx you before xxxxing your remains until youre xxxx. Strung up for 30,000 years, consumed as xxxx!

Now thats a properly offensive threat.

[How can you utter such vulgar]

Traumatized by the utterance, Ellis stumbled over his words.

Perhaps this was too much for noble blood, grown accustomed to the soft-spoken life of luxurynow shell-shocked by the unfiltered modern Korean tongue.

Well, seems hes learned his place now.

Sort out the unruly ones with this guy.

[Okay, got it. But what will you be doing?]

I have my own business to attend to.

The relic raiding was done; no need to linger at level one.

A smile spread slowly across Jin-hyuks face.

It was time to truly grow.